It's All an Act
by firenine
Summary: Sasuke's been spoken for by Naruto AND Sakura; Ino has no choice but to rely on the comfort of an old friend. "Gently, Gently" (KibaHina) up!
1. Rumors Spread Like Wildfire

**It's All an Act  
**By: Sasha  
Rating: PG13 for innuendo and some cursing.  
Pairings: ShikaIno, SasuSakuNaru (!! I"m such a hentai...)  
Summary: The late teenage years have produced some strange couplings in Konoha, the strangest being Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. Ino pushes herself to forget her crush on Sasuke and ends up in one twisted rumor containing her and Shikamaru as a couple. Who spread the rumor and what will both Ino and Shikamaru do about it?  
A.N. This is my first Naruto fic. There's a couple of spoilers, most likely after manga chapters 170, but it's not major. This takes place sometime in the future when they're all about 18/19.

* * *

**Chapter One – Rumors Spread Like Wildfire**

She hummed while choosing a variety of flowers for a bouquet. There was nothing else to do so she worked, her summer being spent in the family flower shop.  
  
"Ino! Have you finished the Haachi order? Kodoma is here to pick it up!" her mother called from the front of the store. She rolled her eyes. Her mother didn't understand that sometimes she didn't want to be here, that she'd rather be out doing missions and training, but her mother insisted that she learn the family business in case a kunoichi life wasn't for her.  
  
"Yes, 'kaasan. I'll be right out," she called, grabbing the basket from the large refrigerator in the back storeroom where she was working. Pasting a huge smile on her face, she walked to the main part of the store and graciously presented the order to the elder Haachi.  
  
"Thank you, child," the elderly man said as he took the basket from her. She bowed.  
  
"You're welcome, ojiisan. I hope you like it. I picked all the flowers myself," she said. He smiled and nodded.  
  
"Wonderful work as always, Ino. Shouldn't you be doing missions?" he asked curiously. She looked at her mother for a brief second.  
  
"There are enough genins and chuunins around to do that work. I've decided to help out my family," she answered. It was a lie and she was sure her mother could see right through it, but what else could she say?  
  
"What a dedicated and hard-working daughter you have," he directed towards Mrs. Yamanaka. He waved and exited the store, leaving Ino and her mother in silence.  
  
The clock ticked and Ino stood there for a moment, wondering what to do.  
  
"Go train. Ask Tsunade-sama if there is any work for you. I know you're unhappy here," her mother said quietly before heading up the stairs. Ino still stood there.  
  
Finally… she thought, taking one quick look around and placing the "closed" sign in the window. _I wonder what the lazy bum and the fatass are doing_.  
  
Shikamaru sighed. The clouds had been floating lazily around, set against a brilliantly blue sky. He wished he could be sleeping on one of those incredibly fluffy looking clouds. I'd never have to lead another mission, he thought happily, closing his eyes.  
  
Ino walked around having no place to go. It was true what she said to the old man. Well as least some of it was. Tsunade-sama had no missions to give out; she checked with the hokage two days ago. She sighed loudly. May as well go train.

* * *

"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto chanted, dragging Sasuke to the Ichiraku. His quieter companion didn't complain and just followed as the blonde dragged him.  
  
"Eh, Sasuke, what are you getting?" Naruto asked, impatiently stepping from one foot to the other. The Uchiha boy looked at the list posted on the wall.  
  
"Same as usual," he replied. Naruto grinned. "Me too!" he yelled, narrowing his eyes at the slowly working owner.  
  
"Hurry up old man! We're hungry," he complained. The owner rolled his eyes at his eyes at the blonde. For teenagers, they sure were annoying. "Miso ramen! Miso ramen!" Naruto sang, taking a seat. From where he was sitting, he could see out to the street. Sasuke quietly took the seat opposite from him.  
  
"Ne, Sasuke, it's Ino-chan. Should we invite her to join us?" Naruto asked, conspiratorially stage-whispering. The other boy just shrugged disinterestedly.  
  
The blonde snickered.  
  
"Ino-chan! Join us for some ramen!" he called loudly. The waitress bringing the boys their ramen almost dropped the two bowls she was carrying.  
  
Ino's eyes snapped upwards to meet cornflower blue, then brown. Sasuke was there too, staring at her like he wanted to kill her. Ino felt her heart plummet to her feet. She smiled and shook her head.  
  
"I just ate a while ago. No thanks! I'll see you guys around. I'm going to train," she replied, flashing them a v-sign and waving as she left.  
  
"Eh, and I was going to con her into paying for us…" Naruto said dejectedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes.  
  
"Ch, you've never had to pay for your own ramen. It's time you started," the Uchiha boy said before breaking his chopsticks apart. Naruto scowled, then smiled slyly.  
  
"You'll pay for me, right Sasuke-kun?" he asked flirtatiously. If he played it right, he would be able to get the taller boy to pay for his meal.  
  
"Depends on what I get afterwards," Sasuke replied blandly, leaving it open for all kinds of interpretation. Naruto grinned and blushed.  
  
"Hentai…" he mumbled before devouring his ramen.

* * *

Ino came to the field where she trained. She could see all the marks in the dirt and grass, from training sessions where she had thrown around her teammates and had been thrown around by them. She shrugged. She could still train on her own. Walking down the hill, she spotted Shikamaru lazing around on the better part of the grass.  
  
"Wake up you bum!" she called. Shikamaru twitched and opened one eye.  
  
"I wasn't sleeping," he answered, shutting that eye and crossing his arms over his chest. Ino took a seat next to him.  
  
Neither said anything for a long time and then Ino suddenly spoke.  
  
"What do you think about when you lie around and stare at the clouds?" she asked quietly. He opened both eyes and pushed himself up slowly.  
  
"Nothing really. Just like how nice it would be if I could be sleeping on those clouds," he replied.  
  
"Oh," she said softly. She turned to him, suddenly wanting to know something else. "Do you think I'm annoying?" she asked. Shikamaru looked like he didn't know what to say. _Stupid girls and their stupid questions_, he thought.  
  
"Does it matter if I do? Or are you just wondering if Sasuke thinks you are?" he threw back at her. Ino groused.  
  
"I want to know what you think," she said firmly, plucking at the green grass between them. Shikamaru looked skywards. _Kami-sama, give me strength_, he thought exasperatedly.  
  
"No, not really. To me, you're just Ino. What else am I supposed to say?" he asked, confused.  
  
She turned to face him with tears in her eyes.  
  
"You're supposed to tell me the truth. We're teammates. We're friends," she said shakily. He had no idea what to do.  
  
"You just want to know what I think because you think all boys think the same. I don't know if Sasuke thinks you're annoying. Does it really matter anyway? You know that there's something odd going on between him, Naruto and Sakura. Why do you still care?" he asked. That took a lot out of him. He was never one for that many words.  
  
Ino stared back at him, the tears making it hard to see her teammate clearly.  
  
"Everyone just says that I'm 'Ino' and nothing more. I asked you a question and you walked around it, same as always," she said before standing shakily. "If I ever want a question unanswered, I'll come to you," she said bitterly. Shikamaru's eyes widened, he could never figure her out, despite his IQ.  
  
"Wait…" he said, standing. Ino stopped. He walked up to her and stood in front of her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.  
  
"You're strong and quick witted. You're a good fighter and a reliable teammate. Yeah, sometimes you're annoying. But if it's any consolation, you're one of the least annoying females I know," he said. Ino swiped at her eyes. He must have really meant what he said if he had to stand and stop her. She giggled.  
  
"You're a good friend, Shikamaru!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. His eyes widened and he sweatdropped. _Do one nice thing and get glomped by a girl. Geez…_ he thought tiredly, cautiously lifting a hand to pat her on the back.  
  
"Come on. Let's look at clouds," he said, suggesting anything just as long as she'd let go. She smiled.  
  
"Lead the way," she said, still hanging onto him. Shikamaru groaned. He made a mental note to never compliment another girl, even if his life depended on it. He took a seat and Ino joined him. His eyes flickered between clouds.  
  
"Look," he pointed. "That one looks like Chouji eating chips," he said, lying back. Ino laughed.  
  
"You've got a weird perspective," she said, staring at the white fluff, trying to see the connection. She shrugged and lay down beside him, resting her head on his chest. Shikamaru wanted to push her off, but strangely, what she was doing was okay with him. Besides, he was too lazy to push her big fat head off him. He mentally snickered.  
  
They both fell asleep like that. Together, in the field, with Ino's head on his chest.

* * *

"Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…" Naruto called. The taller boy narrowed his eyes at his teammate.  
  
"What, dobe?" he asked. Naruto scowled.  
  
"Teach me how you do that thing…" he trailed, blushing suddenly. Sasuke smirked.  
  
"When we get home. First we need to find Sakura. It's not the same without her," he said. Naruto had a huge grin on his face.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Gonna get lai-" he started to say before a small female hand clamped over his mouth.  
  
"Finish that sentence in public and I'll make sure you'll never be able to do ** anything** ever again," Sakura said, kissing his cheek. Naruto scrunched his nose. Sakura giggled.  
  
"He's so cute when he does that, ne, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, hooking her arm through the raven-haired boy's. He shrugged.  
  
"Annoying is a better word," he replied, dragging Sakura with him, leaving Naruto gawking in the street.  
  
"You better not start without me!" he called two seconds later. He was so slow sometimes.  
  
Naruto jogged to catch up. He paused when he looked down the hill. His eyes widened and he grinned maniacally. _Blackmail_! he mentally exclaimed, rushing down the path to tell Sasuke and Sakura.

* * *

By the next day, the news had spread all over town. Shikamaru and Ino were a couple. Of course, they were they only two who didn't know.  
  
Hinata giggled. "I-I think it's sweet. Shikamaru is a nice guy," she said softly. Kiba gave her a strained look.   
  
"Nicer than me?" he asked. Hinata shook her head. "You're both nice," she simply said. Kiba hung his head a little lower and Akamaru gently nipped at her owner's chin to cheer him up.  
  
"Love is a sparkling triumph!" Lee said excitedly. Kiba sweatdropped. Neji's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I swear, sometimes you're so stupid," Neji muttered. Lee gasped, his mouth making an 'o'.  
  
"We should be happy for them. We're their friends. It's about time Ino got over Sasuke," Chouji said from one corner. They all turned to face the chubby boy. They all nodded. The Akimichi boy was right after all.  
  
"So then what do we do? Do we treat them normally? Do you think they want to keep it a secret?" TenTen asked. They all shrugged.  
  
"We'll wait for them to tell us," Shino said, pushing his glasses up. The rest of them agreed.

-----------------------------------

"Ino! Come down here for a moment. I'd like to talk to you!" Ino's mother called, jarring the girl out of sleep.

-----------------------------------

"Shikamaru, get your lazy bones down here at once! We need to talk," Mrs. Nara called to her son. The chuunin groaned. What was so important that his mother had to wake him up before noon?

-----------------------------------

Ino rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and came down the stairs. Her mother was waiting for her at the kitchen table, sipping tea.  
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked through a yawn.

-----------------------------------

Shikamaru threw off his quilt and stretched. If he didn't get downstairs soon, his mother would come up and yank him out. _Why are we Nara men so whipped_? he wondered, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked as he walked down the stairs. His mother was waiting for him at the bottom.  
  
"I was just about to come up to get you," she said. Shikamaru shivered. _ Whoopah_! so whipped.

-----------------------------------

"Why didn't you tell me that you were seeing this Shikamaru boy?" Ino's mother asked. Ino's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

-----------------------------------

"You have a girlfriend. How come you didn't tell me you're going out with that Ino girl?" his mother asked, smiling. Shikamaru's eyes widened to the size of saucers and his upper lip curled in horror.

-----------------------------------

"WHAT?!?!" both teens yelled. They only lived about three or four blocks from each other, but their combined yells managed to fill the blocks in between, causing everyone in Konoha to stop what they were doing. Even Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stopped a late morning romp.  
  
"You're such an idiot," Sasuke said, grabbing his shorts off the floor.  
  
"Eh?" Naruto asked. Sakura rolled her eyes this time, searching for her clothing.  
  
"You weren't supposed to tell everyone! What if they wanted to keep it a secret?" she asked, slipping into her dress.  
  
"But, I, DAMMIT!" he yelled in frustration. _Learn to keep mouth shut_, his mind suggested. Easier said than done.

-----------------------------------

"I'm happy for you, Shikamaru. You need to concentrate on finding yourself a wife and settling down," his mother said, pulling him into a hug.

-----------------------------------

"I'm disappointed that you couldn't tell me sooner, but I'm happy if you are. I hope he makes your days bright. It would be nice to see you smile more," Ino's mother said as she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Will he be the one you marry?" she asked.  
  
Another round of "WHAT?!?!?!" followed from both Ino and Shikamaru.

* * *

A.N. SO??? I tried to lighten the mood after Ino's little meltdown in the field. I'm sucha hentai. I don't know why, but I really like SasuSakuNaru. Anyway, reviews are what motivates me. Send 'em in. If they're flames... I'll get Orochimaru to kill you, resurrect you and kill you again!!!


	2. For Once, Ino Comes Up With the Strategy

**It's All an Act  
**By: Sasha  
Rating: PG13 for innuendo and some cursing.  
Pairings: ShikaIno, SasuSakuNaru (!! I"m such a hentai...)  
  
** I checked chapter one a while back and it seems as though the entire chapter isn't up. Will reviewers let me know? I didn't want to upload a .txt file because the italics wouldn't be seen. For those who couldn't read the entire first chapter, please go follow the links from my author page for it. I suppose I should post up the URL's of previous chapters at the beginning of new ones for people who couldn't read all of it on ffnet.  
  
Also, people have been telling me the trio is weird. I'm totally not even focusing that much on their relationship. I purposely wrote it so that there was more SasuSaku interaction for all the 'phobes out there. There's nothing graphic, remember, this IS PG13 and there isn't even really shounen-ai... just _hinting_ at it. Keep an open mind people and remember that the main couple is ShikaIno. But thanks for the reviews.  
  
***** and if for some stupid reason ffnet isn't allowing you to read the entire fic here, please visit my author page to find the rest of this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – For Once, Ino Comes Up With The Strategy**

Summary: So now we know that Naruto is the squealer, what will Ino and Shikamaru do? 

* * *

Kakashi shared a laugh with Iruka.  
  
"So you're telling me that my students, two who could barely get along, are dating?" the teacher asked. Kakashi nodded. "I heard it all from Gai. He was so happy for those two, but you know how he is," the masked sensei said before using transforming jutsu to become Maito Gai.  
  
"Love is a sparkling triumph!" he said, flashing the good guy thumbs-up. Iruka laughed and Kakashi poofed back to his normal self.  
  
"In any case, I'm happy that they found each other. They've been teammates for a long time now. I'm glad she got over Sasuke. Now if only all the other girls could…" Iruka trailed. Kakashi whipped his copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ and flipped it open to a dog-eared page. Iruka wrinkled his nose.  
  
"What a bad time to read that garbage. Eh, I have a class to teach. I'll see you later," he said, waving as he exited the room.

* * *

Ino's face was burning red for the good part of the morning. Her mother had given her "the talk". She shivered. She **never** wanted to hear her mother say _those_ words ever again.

* * *

"Aw come on! Don't leave me here!" Naruto whined from the bed. Sasuke and Sakura had tied him up and sealed the knots with chakra, forcing him to stay there until they could come up with a way to break the news to either Shikamaru or Ino.  
  
_I don't care how cute you are, you're still an idiot_, Sasuke thought as he glanced at the blonde boy clad in pajamas and gopher cap.  
  
"Sasuke, I'll go talk to Ino. Why don't you see if you can find Shikamaru?" Sakura suggested. Sasuke hated getting in other people's business.  
  
"Does it really matter now? What's done is done. They'll go crazy when they find out Naruto spread the news. Let's just leave it," he suggested. Sakura sighed.  
  
If only there was a way to prevent Naruto's big mouth…

* * *

Shikamaru had fled to the field after his mother gave him a talk. Not exactly "the talk", but her version: '_fool around and make her pregnant and I'll chop your manhood into mincemeat and feed it to you_'. Chills ran down his spine. His mom was such a hardass sometimes.

* * *

Ino glared at the people who were congratulating her on finding someone. If she found out who spread the rumour…   
  
Just down the hill, Shikamaru was lounging. She gulped. Did he know? Should she pretend to know nothing of it? She didn't know what to do. Instead, she just sucked up her courage and walked down to greet him.  
  
"Afternoon, Shikamaru," she said, plopping herself down next to him. He eyed her warily. Ino exhaled loudly.  
  
"So you know," they both said at the same time. Both of them nodded.  
  
"My mom gave me 'the talk'," she said tiredly. He nodded.  
  
"So did mine. Except hers came in the form of a threat," he added. Ino laughed.  
  
The clouds shifted their positions once more, slowly creeping amidst another beautiful blue sky.  
  
"What should we do?" she asked. Shikamaru toyed with the hem of his shirt.  
  
"We deny it. It isn't the truth afterall," he suggested. Ino's shoulders slumped.  
  
"I already have. Nobody is believing me," she said softly. He nodded. He knew what she meant because it was the same with him.  
  
"We could pretend…" Ino trailed quietly. Shikamaru's eyes widened. Stupid girls and their pride, he thought.  
  
Then it suddenly occurred to him. They could pretend.  
  
"We could. And then we could fake a huge argument and 'break up'" she airquoted "in front of the entire village!"  
  
They both grinned. If they couldn't deny the rumour, they could play along and destroy it.

* * *

Lee and TenTen were walking down the street when they ran into Sakura and Sasuke.  
  
"Good afternoon," the boy with the rather expressive eyebrows greeted. Sakura smiled.  
  
"Good afternoon, Lee-kun!" she exclaimed. Lee's heart sped up. She had never been this nice to him. But his heart soon dropped to his stomach when he saw Sakura's fingers interwoven with Sasuke's.  
  
"You guys hear about Shikamaru and Ino?" TenTen asked. Both of them nodded.  
  
"News sure travels fast," Lee said. They all agreed.  
  
"Anyway, we're heading over to visit Tsunade-sama and see if there's any missions to be done," Sakura said.  
  
"Ne, Sakura-chan?" Lee called. She cocked her head to the side in question.  
  
"Where's Naruto-kun?" he asked. Both Sasuke and Sakura stifled laughter.  
  
"He's at home, learning a lesson," Sasuke supplied, tossing a wave as he and Sakura made their way over to the hokage's.

* * *

"This is insane!!!" Naruto yelled. From where he was tied up were polaroids of rather _interesting_ sexual acts taken months ago. He was frustrated and he wanted to do what was in the pictures… but he couldn't.  
  
"You need to be taught a lesson," Sakura had said before giving him a kiss and sauntering out of the room with Sasuke.  
  
"DAMMIT!" Naruto cursed.

* * *

"So, how will this work?" Ino asked, tying some blades of grass together. Shikamaru rubbed his chin slowly.  
  
"Well we can't just go out into the open and lovey-dovey and clingy. Just add things in here and there, like we could be walking side by side and then I could casually take your hand into mine. Subtle stuff like that. Otherwise it wouldn't be believeable," he said. Ino nodded.  
  
"Sounds good. If I find out who spread this rumor…" she said.  
  
"I'll kill them for you," he concluded, standing up. He offered a hand to her. "Come on. I guess we better make our entrance," he said tiredly. Ino grinned a little and slipped her hand into his. It felt odd, but she figured that she better get used to it. They'd out-smart the little creep who spread lies.

* * *

"Lee, I know you still like Sakura. It hurts to see her with him, doesn't it?" TenTen asked softly. Lee shook his head.  
  
"I'm happy if she's happy!" he said, flashing her two thumbs-up. TenTen exhaled loudly, but smiled. Rock Lee, he'd never be one to let rejection get him down.

* * *

Shikamaru looked around. There was nobody to be seen. He sighed, exhaling relief as he beckoned Ino to follow him. It was strangely quiet in town. Where was everyone?  
  
Chouji came around the corner, stuffing chips into his mouth. There were his two teammates.  
  
"Long time no see," he greeted. Shikamaru lifted a hand in greeting, Ino smiled.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Ino asked the boy with potato chips. He shrugged.  
  
"I have no idea. People are still in the stores, if you're worried about that," he said. Ino shook her head.  
  
It was too quiet.  
  
Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, TenTen and Lee were all cramped around the corner, sneaking peeks at Chouji talking to Shikamaru and Ino.  
  
"Dammit," Neji cursed. They all looked at him. "Kiba, close your mouth. Dog breath," he said, turning his head upwards. Kiba's cheeks reddened.  
  
The others tried not to snicker _too_ loudly.  
  
"Aw, when are they going to do something?" TenTen asked. The boys rolled their eyes. Girls and their delusions of love…  
  
Shikamaru placed a hand in his pocket.  
  
"In any case, we better get going. Coming with me or not?" he asked Ino. She looked at him and then at Chouji. The Akimichi boy waved her along.  
  
"Go. I'm going to Sojouno-san's store to get a drink to go with my snack. See you guys around," he said, watching the two walk away, spaced rather far apart. His eyes narrowed. Maybe he was the only one, but it didn't look like those two were going out.  
  
Lee barreled forwards.  
  
"So? Anything?" he asked Chouji. The bigger boy shook his head.  
  
"I think you all saw it for yourselves. I don't know what they're doing, but I didn't see anything there," he said, popping another chip into his mouth.  
  
Shikamaru stopped. He knew they were all spying on him and Ino. Right from the moment he stepped into town square, the eerie quietness gave it away. _Note to self: never take any of them on missions. They'll screw up_, he thought.  
  
"Told you they were spying," he said. Ino shrugged. What else could she say?  
  
"Tomorrow. We turn it up a notch," she said, staring out into the city square, watching the six of them talking amongst themselves.

* * *

A.N. Turn it up a notch, eh? Haha, I'm having fun writing this. Thanks to those who reviewed. Orochimaru is pleased.


	3. Oh The Tangled Web of Lies We Weave…

**It's All an Act  
**By: Sasha  
Rating: PG13 for innuendo and some cursing.  
Pairings: ShikaIno, SasuSakuNaru  


**Chapter 3 - Oh The Tangled Web of Lies We Weave…**

Summary: Naruto refuses to confess and someone throws a wrench into Ino and Shikamaru's genius plan.

* * *

"Feh, this sucks," Naruto said, kicking a rock as he, Kiba and Shino walked down the road. The sun was at its highest, creating heat lines that emanated from the dry and dusty path under their feet. Naruto swiped a hand across his forehead.  
  
Kiba frowned. He wasn't really listening to Naruto's woes. He bet that Shino felt the same, except that the boy was fairly quiet and hardly ever had much to say. In any case, Kiba didn't really care about listening to his blonde friend bitch and moan about not getting any. All he wanted to do was find Neji and kill the bastard once and for all. The Hyuga boy had a grudge against him for no reason! Shino… well, he just stayed quiet throughout the walk. So neither Kiba nor Shino bothered to ask Naruto why he sounded so frustrated.  
  
It had been a pleasant morning. Or so the blonde thought. 

* * *

Sakura grabbed her towel and bath products and caught a glimpse of Sasuke lounging in the living room, looking utterly bored by what was on the television. She snickered softly and walked into the room; nay, sauntered into the room and stepped in front of the monotonous newscaster. She bent forwards and firmly planted her hands on the coffee table before her. 

"Wanna join me for a shower?" Sakura asked seductively. The boy just smirked at her, like he always did. Only, he added a sly "is that all?" to it before he grabbed her. She giggled and he picked her up and headed towards their bathroom.  
  
Somewhere else in the house slept a certain blonde boy. Naruto's eyelids twitched. He snored loudly then stopped. It was morning and his lovers were going at it…without him! AGAIN!  
  
Before the blonde could even get out of bed to join them, Sasuke's voice came floating down the hall.  
  
"You can't join us. Confess first, then we'll see," the Uchiha boy said. Naruto frowned and flung his gopher cap across the room.  
  
"DAMMIT!" Naruto yelled, as he got up and pounded a fist into the wall closest to him. The plaster cracked a little.  
  
"And if you break anymore of our stuff, we'll freeze you out for a month and do it right in front of you," Sakura called. Naruto moaned, torn between wanting to confess just to get it the hell out of the way, but his pride was certainly something much stronger. He'd apologize when he was damn good and ready. Now when would that be?

* * *

Today looked like another one of those bad days.  
  
"Why don't you just tell Ino or Shikamaru that you blabbed their secret to the town? You won't be so miserable anymore and neither would we," Kiba said, breaking Naruto's reverie.  
  
Naruto shook his head. He had his pride and he didn't do anything wrong…well not completely. The way he saw it, he was helping the town become accustomed to his friend's new found relationship. Really, he was helping them. That's what he kept telling himself anyway. 

* * *

"Shikamaru! Telephone!" Mrs. Nara called. Shikamaru grumbled. He pulled himself up and picked up the extension in his room, rubbing a hand over his sleepy face.  
  
"...oh?" he asked. It was supposed to be 'hello,' but he couldn't stop the yawn.  
  
"Jeez, could you be more polite on the phone?" came a sarcastic reply. It was Ino. **Again**.  
  
"What do you want, Ino?" he asked, tired of her calling at least twice a day. Having given on sleep (one really had to once Ino called), he stretched and flung one curtain open. It was another hot but beautiful summer day.  
  
"Are we going out today?" she asked, twirling her finger in the phone cord. He closed his eyes and shook his head. _Why did I agree to this_? he thought.  
  
He hesitated. They had to get to work eventually. _Might as well help me with some of my work_, he tried to justify. 

"I don't know. I have some errands to do. You can come with me if you really want to," he offered. He was so whipped. He blamed it on the Nara curse.  
  
Ino smiled. "Sure! You can take me shopping afterwards. I want to buy some new clothes for the summer festival. It'll look more realistic if you come with me," she said. Shikamaru groaned and she narrowed her eyes. "Hey, we have parts to play. I promise I'll try to make it as bearable as possible," she said, playing around with her hair and looking into the mirror suddenly wondering if Shikamaru would like her hair this way or that way. She stopped herself about a second after the thought crossed her mind. It was just Shikamaru and they were only doing this for appearance sake.  
  
"If you ask me whether or not I think you look fat in something, I'll leave," he said. He could hear Ino swearing on the phone. He chuckled.  
  
"Fine. Now or after lunch?" she asked. Shikamaru shrugged. Sleep having escaped him -for once- he figured that may as well get an early start on his errands to give him more time for cloud watching and a nap later on.  
  
"Now. I'll be over in ten minutes," he said. Ino shrieked.  
  
"It takes a girl a lot longer than ten minutes!" she yelled into the phone.  
  
"Ten minutes. Or I'll go by myself," he warned. Ino fumed but agreed and hung up rather loudly.  
  
"It's going to be a long day," Shikamaru mumbled before getting dressed.  
  
Ino rushed around her room looking for the right thing to wear. Ten minutes was too short. It usually took her between half an hour to forty-five minutes to be presentable, something that was always the downside for her training to be a kunoichi. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice was telling her to slow down and that it didn't matter. It was only Shikamaru, right?  
  
_Right_? The faintest of a dark little whisper prodded her on. Maybe he would appreciate a change from her. Would he start seeing her differently? If she tried hard enough, maybe he'd loosen up around her and let his instincts take over.

SHYEAH right. This was Shikamaru. The same guy who failed just about as many tests as Naruto because he was too tired to write anything down. At the same time, he was so different from the bumbling blonde. He had an IQ of 200. He was smarter than Sasuke, it was just that he didn't really care.

So he probably wouldn't care if she wore her hair open and decided to put on a skirt.

"Shit!" she cursed, realizing she had wasted a good five minutes wondering how Shikamaru would react to her changing things up a little.

_He probably wouldn't notice if I cut all my hair off and walked out naked_, she thought glumly.  
  
Again, she flew around in a hurry, pulling outfits out of drawers and the closet, finally settling on the clothes she usually wore. What a waste of time…  
  
"Ino, Shikamaru is here!" her mother called. Ino's mother eyed the boy carefully, noting how he slouched and looked tired.  
  
"Have you been getting enough sleep?" she asked. Shikamaru looked at her, blinked, then nodded.  
  
_Hmm… tired, lazy-looking. I'll bet he's on some kind of drugs. I'll have a talk with Ino later on_, Mrs. Yamanaka thought.  
  
Ino stepped down from the stairs.  
  
"Bye 'kaasan. I'll be home in a couple of hours," she called cheerily, practically dragging Shikamaru outside into the street.  
  
"Jeez, was your mom a detective before she got married?" Shikamaru asked, smoothing back his ponytail. Ino blinked.  
  
"What?" she asked, laughing.  
  
"She was asking me weird questions like 'have I been sleeping lately'. I'd call that weird," he said.  
  
Ino's eyebrows rose.  
  
"Eh, she's probably just worried since you're my 'boyfriend'," Ino suggested, using air-quotes. She never noticed a certain thick-browed boy behind her.  
  
"Why is he your 'boyfriend', Ino? I thought you guys were really together," Lee asked. Ino and Shikamaru spun around to meet a confused Lee. The boy with the eyebrows was not alone. Chouji, Neji, Hinata, Sakura and Sasuke were all there with him.

"EH?" Ino asked, grabbing Shikamaru's hand on impulse. The Nara boy sweatdropped as the five shinobis eyed him and his 'girlfriend' oddly.  
  
"Why would you use air-quotes?" Hinata asked innocently.  
  
Silence hung between them for a few unbearable minutes. Kiba coughed. Neji stared off somewhere else. Sakura kept exchanging odd glances with Sasuke.  
  
Before Ino could even answer, Sakura squealed in delight. "They're engaged! That's why he isn't her 'boyfriend'!!! It makes sense now. Isn't that right, Ino?" Sakura asked.  
  
Shikamaru never experienced a time where he wanted to drop dead more than right now.

"Well…" Ino trailed. Sakura cut her off.  
  
"Say no more. If you want to keep your engagement hush-hush, **we** can do it," the pink-haired girl said, placing a hand over Ino and Shikamaru's still clasped ones.  
  
"You can count on us to help you out. If we can't, we'll all carve sculptures of you two and worship them as the epitome of love!" Lee promised, giving them a thumbs-up and a wink.  
  
The other four shinobis just about freaked out right there and then and turned on the usually enthusiastic boy.  
  
"Since when did 'I' become 'WE', huh, Lee?!?" they all demanded. The round-eyed boy smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away…" he apologized.  
  
"It's not official so we'd appreciate it if you guys could keep quiet about it. We haven't even told our parents," Ino said. Where did **that** come from?  
  
_Nara Shikamaru. He was a lazy bum, but a genius tactician_. That's what he envisioned his gravestone saying. He wanted to drag her out of the conversation and demand an explanation. A simple 'no' would have been fine. But no... and she shouldn't have even said something that volatile out in public.  
  
_Kami-sama, just strike me down, right here. Right now_, he silently pleaded. God was busy tending to more important things at that moment.  
  
Their friends started to ask each other questions and everyone looked generally happy and a little surprised.

"So when did he propose?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Was it romantic?" Hinata asked shyly.  
  
"Did you guys have sex yet?" Sasuke asked.  
  
"EH?!?!" all six teens asked the Uchiha boy. The dark haired boy just shrugged.  
  
"It's a valid question. If they had sex and Ino got pregnant, then it would make sense that they'd be getting married this early into their relationship," Sasuke deduced. Chouji's eyebrows knitted.  
  
"I've known these two for a long time. They wouldn't do something as stupid as that. Ino, you're not pregnant, right?" the Akimichi boy asked. Ino paled.  
  
"Of course not! We're in love, nothing more. We're not getting married because I got pregnant, because I can assure you, I'm not! We're getting married because we want to spend the rest of our lives together!" she yelled. Everyone became deadly quiet. Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth. She was rather surprised that her childhood friend was so adamant about the relationship with Shikamaru. She never thought that those two would end up together. 

Lee was softly weeping, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. He was such a sucker for romance.  
  
"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!" Lee said before rushing forward to embrace both Ino and Shikamaru in a tight hug.  
  
_Why are you denying me?_ Shikamaru asked, eyes rolling skyward. A bird flew by.  
  
Ino and Shikamaru grimaced a little.

"Alright, cut it out, Lee," Shikamaru said. Having another boy hug him just made him feel all kinds of uncomfortable. Especially a teary-eyed boy.

"We ought to get going. Shikamaru has errands to do and he's taking me shopping," Ino finally said. The teens all bid each other farewell. Ino grinned as she turned away, satisfied that she got away with yet another lie. Shikamaru stopped her and fixed her with a rather hard gaze.  
  
"I think this is getting too far out of hand. If you were more careful about what you said in public, we wouldn't be in this mess," he accused. Ino's eyes took on a dangerous glint.  
  
"Well **I'm** the one doing all the talking. If you don't want all of this to happen so suddenly, then why don't **you** have any input?" she spat. He paused to think about that. Not even in a real relationship and he was so incredibly whipped.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"We better break up soon. This is crazy. Your mom thinks I'm weird, my mom has softened up and now our friends think we're engaged. It's insane. We're going to break up soon. For our dignity," he said resolutely.   
  
Ino wanted to cry. Everything had been going so well. Except this morning when she used air-quotes. She cursed her sarcastic self for being so snarky. Somewhere in the darkest, deepest recesses of her mind, a voice was telling her that it would be a shame to let him go. And somewhere, in some pocket of rationality, she actually believed the voice.  
  
Shikamaru watched her. Ino's lower lip started to tremble. _Geez, is she going to cry again_? he thought. Yeah.  
  
"I can't," she said softly. His forehead wrinkled in confusion.  
  
"What do you mean you can't? You can't break up with me? We aren't even going out, Ino," he reminded her. A tear fell and hit the dirt between them. She looked away. She always thought of herself as strong. Breaking down in front of a friend, a boy, was as low as she would go. 

_For what_? something asked her. She didn't know how to answer the voice. It shouldn't have made a difference. She wasn't that proud. She just didn't like being seen as weak. Yet, somehow it still hurt that Shikamaru would suggest ending their façade, even if that's all it was.  
  
"Ino…" he said softly, pulling her towards him. The strangest feeling washed over him. Something was telling him that this was right. She felt right in his arms.

_What's come over me_? He wondered. He'd never been this tender with anyone. Maybe it was because he never had the chance to and it may not have been the right person, but in this situation, with this girl, he just couldn't help himself.  
  
"If you leave me, they'll all laugh. I've been humiliated enough. Losing to an annoying boy and unworthy girl, you can't know how much it's hurt me," she whispered. Shikamaru wiped a tear away. He didn't want to be second-best, but he did want to help her get over the pain.  
  
"I won't leave. I promise," he replied softly before pressing his lips to hers. Maybe he was wrong. This was something that could work. He felt determined to make it right.  
  
Ino's eyes widened. She'd never been kissed before, although she'd never willingly admit it. Her eyes fluttered closed and she placed her arms around his neck. He stopped, wanting to keep things chaste.  
  
"We'll pretend, but I swear, if we're forced into a kunai wedding, I'll kill myself," he threatened. Ino laughed, swiping at the last of her tears.

_It can work. If you try hard enough_, that same voice told her. The question she had yet to answer was did she really want something with Shikamaru?  
  
"Thank you, Shikamaru-kun," she said before kissing his cheek. She took his hand. "Now take me shopping," she said, dragging him into a store.  
  
_I'm cursed,_ he thought.

* * *

A.N. So Shikamaru has a little change of heart, huh? How is the story coming along? I tried to take into account the reviews that people gave me, well the ones that helped me anyway. Is it better? I went on a rampage and I actually wrote chapters 1-3 in one day. I could have written more, believe me, I wanted to, but I had homework to do. Review, okay? Orochimaru loves you all! 


	4. In Chouji We Trust

**Chapter 4 – In Chouji We Trust**  
  
A.N. - for those who were wondering about the detail that I leave out: I'm saving for them for side stories. This entire fic is finished, I just haven't uploaded the rest of the chapters. The side stories are in the process so have no fear. I'm going to try and cover all the characters or most of them. 

* * *

Part of Tuesday morning was spent in Tsunade-sama's office. 

"Ino, I'd like you and Chouji to stake out a possible rebel ninja hideout in the forest*. We'd just like confirmation so you don't need to worry about fighting unless they initiate it. If they do, I'm sure you and Akimichi can handle it just fine," Tsunade-sama said. Ino nodded. Chouji kept looking at the clock to see when lunch time would be. 

"If you have no questions, then I'll adjourn our meeting," Tsunade said. Nobody made a move to raise their hand. "Fine, see you tomorrow with the report," the Fifth said, having someone usher them out of her office. 

Ino let her shoulders drop a little. So maybe Shikamaru was rubbing off on her a tad… She and Chouji rounded a corner and he stopped before one of the vending machines. 

"If you want to do this mission with Shikamaru, I'll understand," Chouji offered, placing a coin into the slot and pressing a button. Ino shook her head. Poor guy, he was always like this. 

"No. I'd rather take you along. We haven't fought side-by-side for a long time. Besides, Shikamaru is so lazy. We'll be going out at night. No matter how smart he is, he'd probably leave me to keep sentry while he gets his precious sleep. We wouldn't get work done because I'd probably be yelling at him and he'd just ignore me. It would be a messy situation," she explained.

Chouji nodded slowly, then smiled. 

* * *

Shikamaru stared up at the sky. Today was a clear day which meant no clouds which also meant no cloud-dreaming. He frowned. Closing his eyes, he drifted off and started to dream. 

---------------------------------------------- 

"Hey Shikamaru, come here. I've got something to show you," Ino said, trying to hide something behind her back. He eyed her warily but gave in. _Whoopah!_ Even in his dreams he was whipped. 

Ino smiled, pulling him close. 

"Daisuke," she said softly before crushing her lips to his. He _mmphed_ but found he could not push her away. He didn't want to push her away. Instead, his arms of their own volition, slid around her waist and drew Ino impossibly closer. 

Somewhere in the breath-taking kiss, one of their tongues decided to venture into a mouth. He didn't know if it was him or her, all he could feel was this emanating warmth seeping into every part of his being. As though she was pouring her chakra into him, making them one. 

Warm darkness spread around them, circling the two and pushing them flush against each other. He was afraid Ino could feel how much she was affecting him. She broke the kiss to stare up at him dreamily. 

"Well I can see how well that worked. Maybe we should take this elsewhere," she suggested. He gulped. It was now or never and he definitely wanted this. Not just the act of it, but he wanted all the feelings and emotions with Ino. 

She led him into a large room that seemed to come from nowhere. Across the large double doors was a bed bigger than his room at home. He gulped again but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head lower. 

"Make love to me, Shikamaru. Make me a woman," she whispered before hungrily pressing her kiss-swollen lips to his. 

A rough hand shook him awake. Shikamaru never felt a greater loss. He stared up, half wondering who on earth would wake him up and if there was any sort of evidence of his dream. He looked down. 

_All good_, he thought, suddenly embarrassed by the dream. 

"What do you want, Kiba?" Shikamaru asked in a clipped tone. 

"Sorry to wake you, but I need to ask you something," Kiba said, taking a seat next to the chuunin. 

"Yeah?" Shikamaru asked, slouching. Kiba toyed with one of Akamaru's paws. 

A gentle breeze blew across the field, bobbing Shikamaru's ponytail and sending loose flowers petals tumbling through the air. 

"How did you ask Ino out?" he asked softly. Shikamaru's eyes widened. What could he possibly say to that? 

"I didn't," he said. It was the truth after all. Kiba tilted his head sideways. 

"Oh, so you mean she asked you out?" the dog-lover asked. Shikamaru shook his head. "Then I don't get it," Kiba said, slumping. 

"Neither of us asked each other out. It just kind of happened one day," he said. It was a terrible lie, but he hoped that Kiba was desperate enough to believe him. 

"You're lucky. I've been trying to get Hinata to notice me, you know? But she doesn't see me that way. She thinks of me as a friend only and I really like her," he said, distressed. Shikamaru wanted to laugh at his friend. He wanted to say that Kiba was wrong. From what he overheard Hinata tell Neji in confidentiality one day, she was hoping that Kiba would ask her out. 

"Why are you so afraid? She knows you're a nice guy. Just ask her, there's no harm," Shikamaru innocently suggested. Snerk. 

"That's the thing. See, I'm not afraid of asking. It's that damn Neji. I know he's just her cousin, but he's so damn overprotective of her. He'll murder me. Bad enough, Neji hates me," Kiba said softly. Shikamaru wondered why Kiba would come to him for this kind of advice. _Oh yeah…suddenly I'm a romantic guy in a relationship_, he reminded himself. 

"I don't think Neji hates you. If you don't want any trouble, go through Neji first. He knows you wouldn't hurt Hinata. Everyone knows that. And everyone knows that you like her," Shikamaru added. Kiba's eyes widened. 

"Everyone?" he asked. Shikamaru nodded. Boy, this guy was dense sometimes. 

"Oh. Thanks for the advice Shikamaru. You're a good guy. Ino's lucky to have someone that's so smart," he said before taking off. Akamaru yipped a farewell and the chuunin watched his friend veritably skip down the road towards town. He only hoped that Neji wouldn't kick Kiba's ass. 

* * *

Ino waited for Chouji outside his house. Mrs. Akimichi had invited her in for some snacks but she refused. She had a mission and she wouldn't be able to do it properly if she had some of Chouji's mom's cooking. It was said that once you ate her food, you wouldn't be able to stop. 

"Be careful!" Chouji's mom called, waving to them as they left. Chouji offered her a snack. 

"Your mom just offered me some. No thanks," she said. They walked in silence until they reached the woods. 

"Keep on guard. I'll lead, you take the back. I don't expect that we'll need to be on guard so much, but you know, just to be on the safe side," Ino said. Chouji nodded. 

Nightfall came slowly and they sat behind a large tree, watching some unknown coordinate that had been given to them by Tsunade. Ino was itching for a fight, but she told herself that this was just an ordinary scouting mission. 

Sure enough, as darkness fell, she and Chouji could sense four, no, five chakras moving towards a dark spot from where they were sitting. They could hear quiet voices. Ino wanted to laugh. These weren't shinobi; they were fools waiting to get caught. A familiar voice caught her attention. 

"Be quiet. Remember, tomorrow we'll be launching an attack against Naruto. I've been planning this for so long. We'll finally outsmart him," came a voice. 

Damn D-rank mission. 

"Ne, Chouji, isn't that Konohomaru and his little gang of hooligans?" Ino asked softly. Chouji nodded. _What a waste of time_… she thought. Tsunade-sama would probably just shrug and say that it was better to know now than never. 

"Come on. They're harmless," Ino said. Chouji followed quietly. They walked slowly back towards town. 

"Ino?" Chouji asked. She stopped to look at him, wondering what he would say. 

"I don't know if it's just me, but you and Shikamaru. Is it really true? There was that day that you guys came into town and it was quiet. You didn't seem like you guys were together," he said. Ino looked down. This was Chouji. She could trust him. No, she and Shikamaru could trust him. 

"It's not true. You're right. How many people know?" she asked. Chouji held up one finger and pointed to himself. 

"Wow, the others must really be deluded, huh?" she asked softly, laughing. Chouji grinned. So he was right. 

"Don't worry, I won't say anything. But if I could ask, why pretend?" he asked. 

Ino shoved her hands into her pockets and shrugged. 

"At the time it seemed like a good idea. We wanted to find out who spread the rumor and so we decided to play along and then stage this huge breakup in front of everyone, but there came that day when I foolishly referred to Shikamaru as my 'boyfriend'," she air-quoted "then after that, all hell broke loose. Everyone started to come to their own conclusions," she explained softly. Chouji nodded slowly, then let out a breath of relief. 

Ino looked at him quizzically. 

"You guys look so odd together," he said. Ino laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah... we do." 

* * *

Shikamaru lay on his bed, waiting for Ino to call. Normally they'd be on their second phone call of the day at this time, but she had only called once, and that was in the morning. He frowned. 

"Shikamaru! Ino's here to see you!" Mrs. Nara called. He sat up straight. What the? 

Before he could even get out of bed, Ino had flung the door open. 

"What are you doing?" he asked. 

"Chouji knows about us," she said. Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at her. "How?" he asked. 

She fiddled with a loose string on her shirt. 

"I kind of told him. But he said he'd keep it a secret!" she said. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. 

"What the hell? What are we supposed to do now? We may as well call it quits. This won't work. We're deceiving all our friends," he said. Ino frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Sissy," she said. "Don't you trust Chouji?" she asked. 

_What do you mean 'do I trust him?' Of course I do_, he thought. 

He nodded. 

"Then we can still keep this up," Ino concluded. Shikamaru wondered which way his sense of rationality had left. Exit stage right… 

"What were you doing before I came over?" she asked, taking a seat at the foot of his bed. Shikamaru nearly fainted. He just realized that he had a girl in his room alone, and his mother was fine with this. What was the world coming to? 

"Bumming around. Same as always, I guess," he said, lying back amongst the pillows. He dared not look at her. 

Ino yawned. 

"I'm tired," she said. Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably. 

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he offered. The whip came outta nowhere this time. 

"Iie. I'll just take a nap. Wake me up in an hour," she said, climbing towards him and resting against his side. She must have been really tired since she had fallen asleep within moments. Shikamaru let out a mental scream. What if his mother or father walked in on them like this? Sure, they weren't doing anything indecent, but it still looked rather compromising. So he did the one thing he could do. He rolled her off of him and bolted from the room via his window. He'd come back to wake her up. 

* * *

"Oh Sasuke! Harder!" Sakura yelled from a room in the trio's house. Naruto growled. How many days was it now? Weeks? He had no clue. He wanted to give himself up and confess, but dammit, he had his stupid pride. Plus, he was afraid of what Ino would do to him if he ever let his guard down. Or what Shikamaru would do to him… he shivered. 

"Stop faking it!" Naruto yelled from his bed. Yes, his bed. Sasuke, that jackass, pulled Naruto's old bed out and placed it in a separate room. Bastard. 

Sakura and Sasuke laughed. They were actually watching television in the living room. 

* * *

Kiba chewed on his lower lip. He stood right outside of the Hyuga house. He was sure that one of them could probably see him even in the darkness. Damn byakugan. 

"What do you want?" Neji asked from the doorway. Kiba inhaled a deep breath. 

"Neji, I want to ask Hinata out. Shikamaru told me that I should ask you first since you're very protective of her. I'd like your blessing," he asked nervously. Dammit, he was no coward. Except in front of a certain Hyguga Branch member who could kick his ass four ways from Sunday…and then some. 

Neji smiled. He actually smiled. 

"I was waiting for you to ask me that. As long as you don't hurt her, I'm fine with it. Take good care of my cousin. I'll kill you if you ever make her cry," Neji said. Kiba looked like a fish at that moment. 

Neji sighed. "Well don't just stand there. Come in," he beckoned. Kiba remembered to breathe. He did it! He could finally ask Hinata out without getting any bones broken! 

* * *

Shikamaru sat up. Looking at the stars just didn't have the same appeal as clouds set in blue sky. He sighed. 

Ino shifted. Her arm moved outwards searching for his body but felt cool sheets instead. She woke up. 

"Shikamaru?" she asked softly. He was nowhere to be seen. Was he… embarrassed? She smacked her head. 

_Stupid Ino_, she thought. She was driving him away by being so forward. What was coming over her? It wasn't lust. Being with Shikamaru just felt right. She smiled. 

_Yosh_! She thought, pumping one arm. She had to find him. 

Instead of sitting around, she got up. The window was wide open and she figured he must have escaped from there. Setting herself on the ledge, she looked down. It was a fair jump down and knowing how lazy he was, he wouldn't risk it. 

_Going up, I guess_, she thought, grasping onto the eaves and hoisting herself up to the roof. 

"Heh, so you found me. I swear, I was going to come back and wake you up," Shikamaru said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Ino smiled. 

"Don't worry about it," she said, walking over to him. Shikamaru paled a little. Why was she…? 

"I've been thinking," Ino started, "maybe this thing is working differently," she said, pausing when she stopped a few inches before him. 

"Eh?" he asked. She was getting a bit too close… 

"Maybe I'm crazy, but I think I rather like being with you," she said softly, placing a hand on his forearm. Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest. 

"No, let me finish," she said, silencing him. "I don't want to break up," she finished. WHAA??? 

"But, I thought you wanted to break up publicly so we could find the rat who spread the rumors," Shikamaru said. He was starting a nervous sweat. 

Ino shook her head. "I had a little change of plans. Or maybe a change of heart," she confessed, moving forwards so that their bodies were flush against each other. 

"What?" he asked. Ino did it- she finally made him stupid. 

She sighed loudly. Were boys always this stupid? Don't answer that. 

"I'm saying," she said while grasping his hand, "that I like you, Nara Shikamaru. You're the one I want to be with, even if what we have started out as a rumor," she finally said. Shikamaru felt like he wanted to bolt. _Ack, girl too close, hard to think_… he thought. 

Ino frowned. She was pouring her heart out and he was making all these weird confused faces. Maybe he didn't want this… She let go of his hand. 

"I think I understand by the lack of speech that you don't want this. That's fine. Tomorrow we'll break up in front of everyone. Oyasumi," she said, turning to leave. Before she could go, it finally occurred to Shikamaru that he should say something. 

"Don't," he said, moving quickly and placing himself before her and the roof's edge. Without hesitation, he grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips to hers. 

_Damn brain. Why are you lazy at a time like this_? he questioned. He just about lost the only girl who ever willingly admitted her feelings for him. The only girl he could reciprocate those feelings to. 

Ino wound her arms around his neck. She didn't think this would happen. Okay, maybe she did, but just a teeny bit. She knew that Shikamaru had some sort of soft spot for her. Before she could think about anything else, a tongue, his tongue, was seeking entrance to her mouth. Eh, who was she to deny him something she wanted as well? 

Something inside of him burst. Years spent being indifferent and lazy and he finally let it all go. He put everything into this kiss. He wouldn't lose her, he couldn't. Ino gasped and he took advantage of it and explored her sweet mouth. A hand on the small of her back and one behind her neck, he tilted her backwards, literally taking her breath away. 

Inner Ino was doing the happiest little happy dance. She'd finally found someone who felt something for her and she never had to try and get him to pay attention to her. He liked her the way she was. 

_That's how it should be_, she thought happily. 

* * *

* - I know that the Hokage's usually have their ultra-cool crystal ball to watch over what's happening in their villages, but I needed a filler for the story. 


	5. It’s a Beautiful Morning… or so it Start...

**Chapter 5 – It's a Beautiful Morning… or so it Started Out to be…**

A.N. I **must** warn all you readers that this chapter has a bit of shounen-ai. If you don't like reading about a boy kiss another boy, don't read this. You should already be familiar with the warnings of this fic, so this is just another warning. I don't want a mass of people swarming me with flames saying that I didn't tell them about the boy-kisses-boy action...ok, and then maybe a little more... ON WITH THE FIC? 

* * *

Ino woke up to a beautiful morning, birds chirping, people happily milling around town and next to a warm body… 

"EH?!?" she exclaimed, pushing herself up quickly. She and Shikamaru had fallen asleep on the roof. Of course, being the bum that he is, he didn't stir when she got up and paced around. 

_Mom's gonna kill me, she'll shave me bald and then she'll kill me_, Ino thought as she walked around. Despite the warm and fuzzy feelings from sleeping cuddled up to someone she really liked, she was so very afraid of the repercussions, come as they may. She kicked him. 

"Wake up!" she yelled. Shikamaru sat up so quickly he thought he'd have a nosebleed. 

"What the hell?" he asked, rubbing his sore knee. _What's her problem_? he thought, frowning 

"Look at where we are," she said, pointing to the roof and then down to the street. Shikamaru shrugged. 

"We're on the roof," he answered casually. Ino fumed. 

"I **know** we're on the roof. Do you know the implications of what **you** said?" she asked, poking him in the chest. It finally clicked. For them to be on the roof may lead people to believe that they … _you know_… Shikamaru groaned. 

"Oh…" he said, standing up. She glared at him. She just spent a night in the arms of her boyfriend, which, by the way, she could finally say without the air-quotes, and all he could say was "oh…" 

Shikamaru stuffed both his hands in his pockets. He seemed pretty lax about the whole situation. It bugged Ino to no end. 

"My parents trust me. They know we're up here," he said calmly. Ino blushed. He made her go from angry to embarrassed in two seconds flat. 

"Yeah, but don't you think that even the most trusting parents doubt their children even a little bit?" she asked. Shikamaru nodded. Then he paled. 

"You don't think they think that we…?" he asked. No… his mom trusted him. She did threaten him after all… 

Ino shrugged. What was she supposed to think? How many people knew they were on the rooftop together? Did it even matter anymore? 

"I better get home," she said quietly, turning to leave. 

"I'll walk you. I know you're mom will be mad," he said, casually taking her hand. Ino smiled. He learned fast. 

"I'd like that," she said meekly, squeezing his hand a little. They looked at each other and then down at the street. 

"Jump for it?" he asked. She grinned. Why not? 

They stood hand-in-hand outside of the Yamanaka flower shop. Ino shivered. What could she possibly say to her mother? Would her mother even believe her? 

* * *

"You're going to confess today," Sasuke said, leaning over Naruto. The blonde boy gulped. Sasuke had an odd glint to his eyes. 

"But-" he started to say. Sasuke crushed his lips to Naruto's, effectively silencing the troublemaker. 

_Finally_! his brain rejoiced. Naruto was experiencing bliss after nearly a month of being ignored. Sasuke's quick hands made work of Naruto's pajama pants and flung them across the room. 

_Yeah, yeah, yeah! Gonna get some_! he thought happily. Sasuke's hand left. Naruto paled, his lower lip trembling and his eyes wide as saucers. 

"Why did you stop?!" he complained. Sasuke smirked. 

"Only after you confess. They have no idea, despite Shikamaru who being as smart as he is, who spread the rumor," he said, poking Naruto's chest. Naruto frowned, then pouted. He had a trick up his sleeve. 

"Kage bunshin no jutstu!" he yelled and multiplied into five, **annoying** blonde boys and swarmed Sasuke. 

Before long, he had the dark haired shinobi gasping and pleading. 

_Why didn't I think of that before_? Naruto thought happily as he lay down next to an exhausted, sleeping Sasuke. 

* * *

"Where were you last night?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked. Ino gulped. She couldn't lie. Well she could, but not if Shikamaru was right there. 

"I was at his house. We were on the roof," she explained. Ino's mother nodded slowly. 

"Did you two have sexual intercourse?" her mother asked. Ino wanted to die. Her mom actually used _the term_… oh Kami-sama. 

Shikamaru stepped in this time. 

"I can assure you that we didn't do anything. We were on the roof watching the stars. My parents know we were there. I would never defile your daughter that way," he said, looking right into Mrs. Yamanaka's eyes. 

_My knight in shining armor_! Ino thought. She exhaled loudly. They still weren't out of the woods yet. 

"I see," Ino's mother said. The lack of words just unnerved Ino even more. She expected yelling, cursing and possibly even some violence. But not this. Not… calm understanding. 

"You seem like a trustworthy boy, much better than that Uchiha boy. He's so loose," Ino's mother gossiped. Okay, she was wrong, the feeling of wanting to die came back again. 

Shikamaru nodded slowly. 

"Thank you for your trust, Mrs. Yamanaka. I have very strong feelings for Ino. I respect her very much. You don't need to worry about us," he said, clasping Ino's hand tightly. Ino's mother smiled brightly. 

"You better marry this boy," her mother said. 

_Yamanaka Ino. She was a little annoying and superficial, but she found a good boyfriend through a rumor_. That's what **her** tombstone should say. 

Shikamaru let out a laugh. Not a guffaw, but a delightful laugh that just made her shiver with odd lovey-dovey feelings. Something came over her at that moment. He was right for her. Sitting here, defending her honor in front of her mother, no less. Maybe it was the way the light was shining in and illuminating his profile, and maybe it was his laugh, but she could see herself spending the rest of her life with Shikamaru by her side. 

"That's if he'll propose," Ino said, rolling her eyes a little. She snuck a look at Shikamaru, giggled and then blushed. Shikamaru's eyes widened and he blushed as well. 

"Well aren't you two just adorable? I must get to work. I trust you'll come home tonight, Ino?" her mother asked, standing up. Ino nodded. 

"I will. I'll come by for the afternoon shift, ja!" she said, watching her mother leave. When Mrs. Yamanaka was well out of sight, Ino planted a huge kiss on Shikamaru. 

"That's for being my prince! Can you believe it? My mother didn't even get mad! That's incredible. I love you!" she said. Whoa… that came out of nowhere. She drew back, a little shocked that those last three words came out. 

"I mean… well, I, you know-" she tried to explain. Shikamaru just gave her the sweetest smile and kissed her. 

"I know what you mean," he whispered. "And I probably will propose. You just won't know when," he said before taking her hand and pulling her up. 

"Now let's go eat. I'm actually hungry," he said. Ino nodded. 

"To the Ichiraku we go," she said, sidling up to him as they walked down the street. The townspeople of Konoha all knew they were together and many people smiled, watching the couple walk down the street, completely in love and happy. 

* * *

"Sasuke, Naruto, hello?" Sakura called as she kicked her shoes off. There was no noise. She raised an eyebrow and walked around. She could sense Sasuke's chakra but he wasn't responding. Panicking, she fled to their shared bedroom only to find him nude but covered by a sheet with a note lying beside him. 

_My Sakura-chan, _

Forgive me, I seem to have worn our Sasuke out. Going to refuel at the Ichiraku and come back for you. 

Love, Naru 

Sakura smiled. She figured something like this would happen once she left the house. She shrugged. She missed her little blondie anyway. 

"Miso ramen!" Naruto called. The owner frowned. He didn't need to be told. Uzumaki Naruto had been coming to the Ichiraku even before he was twelve. That meant years and **years** of the SAME old ramen. 

Naruto took a seat and broke his chopsticks apart. He was so hungry. All that work… Sasuke better realize how much energy it took for him to accomplish that… 

"Hey Naruto," Shikamaru greeted as both he and Ino walked into the restaurant. Naruto gulped. He hadn't been around the 'couple' since he had spread the rumor. Maybe it was alright to come out and confess… 

"Hey… I think I should tell you guys something," Naruto said. Shikamaru and Ino looked at him quizzically. 

"Like what?" Ino asked, taking the seat across Naruto. 

To hell with it. He was going to tell them the truth. Uzumaki Naruto was not made for abstinence. 

"IwastheonewhospreadtherumoraboutyouguysI'msososorry!" he said in one single breath. Ino looked at Shikamaru and then they both looked at Naruto. 

Ino laughed. "That's okay, Naruto. We forgive you," she said. Naruto paled. He lost a month's worth of sex for _this_?!?! 

"Where's my ramen?!?" he demanded. Shikamaru looked at Ino and shrugged. The blonde boy was certainly unpredictable. Naruto's bowl came and he literally inhaled it, paid and ran out of the ramen house. 

* * *

Kiba had the biggest grin on his face. All he could remember was the night before. 

_flashback_:

Hinata had smiled at him shyly as Neji pushed her into the room. The Hyuga boy was certainly an odd one. 

"Work it out. I'll leave you two," Neji said before shutting the double doors to the sitting room. Kiba smiled nervously. 

"How are you, Kiba-kun?" she asked, taking a seat next to him. Oh boy… he was starting a nervous sweat. Was his breath okay? Did he have anything stuck between his teeth? 

"I-I'm fine, thanks," he stammered. So much for being in control of the situation… 

"Brother Neji said you wanted to ask me something," she pressed on. Kiba twiddled his thumbs. He was usually confident in everything he did. Except when it came to talking to girls. Hinata wasn't even just a girl. She was someone who he'd liked for a while now. 

Say something! his mind prodded and he exhaled loudly. 

"IaskedNejiforhispermissiontoaskyououtonadatewillyoupleasejoinmefordinnertomorrownight?" he said quickly. What a litany… 

Hinata giggled and blushed. _Finally_... Kiba finally worked up the nerve to ask her. 

"Of course I would!" she exclaimed. Kiba felt as though a thousand pounds had left his shoulders. 

He smiled widely. "You just made my day," he said, pushing his thick brown bangs out of his face. Akamaru yipped happily and Hinata blushed a little. 

_end flashback_

* * *

Naruto nearly barreled an old man over as he ran back to the house. He hated being stubborn, but he was really just afraid of being injured by an angry Ino and/or Shikamaru. Now that he had that dilemma resolved, he could get his… revenge. 

"…and then he just ambushed me. They just ambushed me," Sasuke corrected himself. Sakura laughed. 

"Well I figured something like that would happen. I think he's learned his lesson, don't you?" she asked. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. 

"I guess so," he said quietly. He looked at his waist, the beginnings of hand-sized bruise marks blooming all across his hips. He frowned. 

"I confessed!" Naruto yelled as he came into the room. Sakura and Sasuke laughed. 

"Took you long enough," Sakura said as she walked over towards him. "Punishment isn't fun, is it?" she asked, trailing kisses along his jaw. He grabbed her shoulders. 

"No it wasn't. It was torture," he said before throwing her onto the bed next to Sasuke. 

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" he yelled. Six still sexually deprived Uzumaki Naruto's stood before the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha boy, grinning very much like Cheshire cats. 

"Uh oh…" Sakura said. 


	6. Read It Carefully!

SIGH... people don't seem to understand what I'm trying to say here. I said that I AM GOING TO POST BOTH side stories, I just wanted to know if you readers wanted them in a specific order. Finding a Way and Gently, Gently follow different timelines, though not too far apart. I just wanted to know if readers wanted FW before GG. BUT... since most people think I'm trying to be mean and only post one of the two, I'll just post them the way I originally planned. Watch for Finding a Way coming out this week and Gently, Gently will be posted RIGHT after it. I won't make you all wait a week or anything. I'll upload both and post both, back to back. So don't choose and please... don't send me emails saying I'm mean and it's not fair that I'm making you all choose because really... I'M NOT MAKING YOU CHOOSE ONE OVER THE OTHER! I said that I would post BOTH side stories, so don't bombard me anymore!!!  
  
Author inquiry!  
  
Hi readers! I know all of you are frantic to find out what happens next and I've written the two side stories that must be read before the epilogue. The whole thing is done, BUT... I don't know which side story I should post first. The first one is called "Finding a Way" and concentrates on the ShikaIno dynamic, their relationship as adults and the possibility of marriage. The second one is called "Gently, Gently" and focuses on KibaHina and how they become more than just shy teens who like each other. Both are rated PG, but I guess PG13 would be more appropriate in case some stuff slips by. In any case, I need you, the readers/reviewers to tell me what you want. You absolutely cannot read the epilogue of IAA without reading the side stories, so just tell me which one you'd like more and I'll post both of them back to back.  
  
_Sasha_   
  
Here are the intro paragraphs for both, just to intice you all a little more and because icemint (thanks for the heads up) said that I may get a violation going on here. 

* * *

**Finding a Way**

"Ino, your father and I would like to have dinner with this Nara boy," Mrs. Yamanaka said. Ino put down her pruning shears and faced her mother. 

_Dinner with my parents. Could be bad, could be good_... she thought silently, mulling the thought over. Her mother cleared her throat and Ino smiled apologetically to her mother. 

"That would be nice," she answered. "I'll ask him tonight," she added. 

"Actually, I was thinking tonight would be perfect. I went to the butcher's this morning and I have pork chops ready for dinner. Is he vegetarian?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked. Ino paled just a little. She knew that Shikamaru would do anything for her, but she didn't know if he was up to dinner with her rather nosy and sometimes judgmental parents. 

"No, he isn't. Are you really sure about tonight? He was going to take me to town after we had dinner at the Ichiraku," Ino tried to say. Her mother stuck a hand up. 

"I'm definitely sure. I think it's about time your father got to meet the boy who swept you off your feet. Besides, it'll give us a chance to see Shikamaru as himself. If I know you, you would use time to coach him in the right things to say to win us over. I think we deserve to see him as he is," Mrs. Yamanaka said, placing one hand on her hip. 

"You think I would seriously coach him that way? 'Kasaan..." Ino started to say. Her mother just waved her off. 

"Back to work. Kaede-sama ordered arrangements for her son's wedding, we need to start working on them now," her mother reminded her. Ino sighed softly. 

_Disaster_, was the only thing she could think of. 

* * *

**Gently, Gently**

Kiba bit his lip and nervously twisted a piece of paper in his hands. Hinata had fallen sick again and he wasn't allowed in the Hyuga house to see her. Neji said that he didn't want Hinata to strain herself, and being head-over-heels for the little Hyuga heiress, Kiba grudgingly stepped aside. Today was the supposed day he was allowed to come over to see her. He was going out of his mind. 

Naruto rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. 

"Stop fussing over the situation and sit down. You'll make me lose my lunch," the blonde said, irritated by Kiba's pacing of the Ichiraku. The brunette narrowed his eyes at the annoying blonde. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wouldn't want you to lose you precious lunch of that god-awful ramen," Kiba said sarcastically as he purposely strode in more circles. Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and even Sasuke rolled their eyes at the irritating duo. 

"Grow up," Ino exclaimed. Shikamaru yawned and leaned against his girlfriend. Sakura frowned and smacked Naruto's arm. 

"Be quiet. He's obviously worried about Hinata. Shouldn't you be worried as well?" she asked the blonde. He shrugged a little. 

Everyone exchanged exasperated glances and kept quiet, waiting for Kiba to come to them to ask questions or for help, rather than bombarding the poor guy with their concern. 

Kiba stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. He didn't want to be in a place where everyone could see how Hinata's condition was unraveling him. Akamaru followed, casting a worried look towards the well-meaning group of friends and followed Kiba out of the restaurant. 

* * *

hope this helps! 


	7. IAA side story 1: Finding a Way

Finding a Way  
By: Sasha (attain_webmiss@yahoo.ca)  
Rating: PG  
Pairing(s): ShikaIno  
Warning(s): none  
A.N. This takes place a year or so after Ino and Shikamaru get together. So this is probably about two years before the epilogue of "It's All an Act," and will concentrate on what leads up to their actual engagement. This is a one-shot fic... and I'm sorry to say, it just sucks. Ah, I wish I could rewrite it... 

* * *

"Ino, your father and I would like to have dinner with this Nara boy," Mrs. Yamanaka said. Ino put down her pruning shears and faced her mother. 

_Dinner with my parents. Could be bad, could be good_... she thought silently, mulling the thought over. Her mother cleared her throat and Ino smiled apologetically to her mother. 

"That would be nice," she answered. "I'll ask him tonight," she added. 

"Actually, I was thinking tonight would be perfect. I went to the butcher's this morning and I have pork chops ready for dinner. Is he vegetarian?" Mrs. Yamanaka asked. Ino paled just a little. She knew that Shikamaru would do anything for her, but she didn't know if he was up to dinner with her rather nosy and sometimes judgmental parents. 

"No, he isn't. Are you really sure about tonight? He was going to take me to town after we had dinner at the Ichiraku," Ino tried to say. Her mother stuck a hand up. 

"I'm definitely sure. I think it's about time your father got to meet the boy who swept you off your feet. Besides, it'll give us a chance to see Shikamaru as himself. If I know you, you would use time to coach him in the right things to say to win us over. I think we deserve to see him as he is," Mrs. Yamanaka said, placing one hand on her hip. 

"You think I would seriously coach him that way? 'Kasaan..." Ino started to say. Her mother just waved her off. 

"Back to work. Kaede-sama ordered arrangements for her son's wedding, we need to start working on them now," her mother reminded her. Ino sighed softly. 

_Disaster_, was the only thing she could think of. 

* * *

Shikamaru's eyes were as wide as saucers. 

"Your parents, dinner, me?" he asked, breathing a little erratically. Ino nodded. 

"They'll hate me. Your mom already thinks I'm some kind of drug addict or whatever, and your father, I've never even met him but I can guess that he doesn't like me either!" Shikamaru said. 

Ino grabbed his arm to stop him from pacing around. He was making her dizzy and she wanted him to calm down. 

"Don't worry. My mom always hated the fact that I used to like Sasuke. She thinks you're okay. I told her that I'm in love with you," she added, hoping it would sway his decision. Shikamaru just shook his head. 

"This is something pretty big. You haven't even had a formal dinner with my family. My parents have only seen you in passing. Ino..." he complained. She rolled her eyes. He had such commitment problems. 

"You said you'd do anything for me. Don't you care that this is important? It means a lot to me. I don't want to do it either, but it's about time you suck it up and meet my father. I'm sure he'll like you. He's always wanted me to marry a smart man. You're not smart, you're a genius!" Ino said rather loudly. 

Shikamaru conceded. The things he does for love... 

"Fine. I guess it would look worse if I tried to get out of it, huh?" he asked, drawing her closer. Ino snuggled up to his side and laid her head at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder. 

"Yeah. Besides, you can't say no to me. You love me too much," she said cutely, turning a little to place a small kiss on his jawline. 

She was so right. 

"Yeah, I know. I told you before, Nara men are whipped," he said softly. Ino giggled. 

"We've got time before dinner tonight. I think I better tell you what could be in store for you," Ino said. Shikamaru groaned. 

"I'd rather nap," he retorted. Ino pinched his arm. 

"Fine. If you screw up, it's not my fault. Remember, it's all up to my father..." she warned. Shikamaru buried his head in his hands and moaned. 

"Fine, fine, fine. Coach away," he said, exhaling loudly. 

* * *

Shikamaru stood in front of his mirror, having traded his everyday netted shirt for a short-sleeved button up and slacks instead of shorts. He decided to keep his chunin vest on, just in case. A knock sounded at the door. 

"Son, are you done?" his mother asked. 

"Yeah. Come in," he said, taking a seat on his bed. Mrs. Nara walked in and gasped a little. Her little boy was becoming such a handsome man. 

"Shikamaru, don't you look handsome!" she exclaimed. "Get up, let me see," she commanded. He stood lazily, watching her approve and gush about how dignified and smart he looked. 

"You better get going. It's impolite to be late," she said, pushing him towards the door. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said under his breath as he walked down the stairs. 

"One 'yeah' is more than enough," his mother called after him. 

* * *

Ino sat at her vanity, fully dressed but having no clue what to do with her hair. It wouldn't be a very fancy dinner, but she didn't want to be the one who looked rather plain. She knew that even Shikamaru would be dressing differently. She just didn't know how and how much. 

"Dammit. I'm leaving it the way it is", she said, giving up. She left the room after taking one last glance in the mirror. 

* * *

"It's almost time for dinner. Will he be late? That's awfully rude," Mrs. Yamanaka said. Ino fidgeted in her seat. Her mother was right, but she had no clue whether or not Shikamaru would be late. Before she could worry, a knock sounded at their door. She bolted from her seat yelling "I'll get it!" 

"Am I late?" he asked softly. Ino shook her head. 

"No, but another minute and you would be. What took you so long?" she asked. 

"Had to get dressed," he said plainly. Ino's mouth made an 'o' when she took his outfit in. He definitely looked very nice. She felt herself blush a little. 

"You clean up nicely," she said before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Come on in," she said, gesturing to the foyer. He bowed his head a little and walked in. 

"Mother, father, I'd like you to meet Nara Shikamaru. Shikamaru, these are my parents, Yamanaka Kaoru and Aki," Ino said. Shikamaru bowed deeply. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," he said politely. 

"Please have a seat. Dinner will be ready shortly," Mrs. Yamanaka said before disappearing into the kitchen. 

Ino led him into the sitting room and offered him some tea which he gratefully accepted. At least he could hide behind the cup a little bit. 

"You're a chunin, huh?" Mr. Yamanaka asked. 

"Hai. I've been a chunin for about five years," he said. Yamanaka Kaoru nodded his head slowly. 

"Do you plan on becoming a jounin any time soon?" he asked. 

Shikamaru thought quickly. He knew in his heart that he was too lazy, but would it do him any good to lie? 

"I'm not sure yet. Being a chunin is quite a big responsibility. There are missions that last for weeks and I don't like to be away from home for that long. Becoming a jounin is a risk. I like being close to home and Ino," he added. 

Ino wanted to hug him. She knew he was being honest. They had a conversation similar to this one a few weeks back. He told her that if he was to become a jounin, it would mean a lot of time spent away from her and he didn't like that. 

"Dinner is served," Mrs. Yamanaka interjected. Shikamaru wanted to exhale in relief, but he knew that once dinner started, it would be twice as many questions and about four times the possibility that he would screw up answering them. 

* * *

"I'll get this first question out of the way," Kaoru started to say. "What are your intentions for my daughter?" he asked. Ino looked a little scared and Shikamaru was thankful that he was just about to swallow because he surely would have gulped before answering. 

"Ino and I have been together for almost two years. I love her very much and I am very devoted to her. If you're asking about the possibility of us getting married, I can assure you that it would be something I aim for, for the future of our relationship," Shikamaru answered. 

He'd joked around enough times with Ino. She knew that he would propose and he always said that he'd do it when she least expected. 

"Are you asking our permission?" Aki asked, putting her chopsticks down. 

Shikamaru glanced at Ino who was blushing quite profusely. He dared not take her hand into his. 

"Yes. If you will let me, I would like to ask permission to marry your daughter. I know that this is the first time we have met, but Ino has been my first and only girlfriend. We've known each other almost all our lives. We know each other's habits and moods and we understand each other better than anybody else. So if you would let me, I'd like to marry Ino," he said. 

Ino was about five seconds from grabbing Shikamaru and kissing him right then and there. 

Kaoru and Aki looked at each other and then looked at the teen who was professing his love for their only daughter. 

"If she'll have you," Kaoru said quietly. 

Shikamaru smiled widely. "Thank you, sir. I only hope that I can make her as happy as she has made me," he said. 

* * *

"Dinner was a good idea, wasn't it?" Ino asked. Shikamaru nodded. It was well past midnight and they were both sitting on the roof of her house, gazing up at the twinkling stars. 

"I love you," she said softly before wrapping her arms around him. 

"I love you too. Will you marry me?" he asked. 

Ino looked up and a star glimmered a little. 

"Yeah, you know I will," she said, grinning a little. "After all, you passed my parent's test. Isn't it strange how they seemed to say yes to a guy they just met?" she asked. He shook his head. 

"I think they could see it in my eyes and the way you kept looking at me. They knew I was serious. Besides, your father left it up to you in the end. They were just approving," he said. 

Ino nodded. 

"I guess so. It's still so odd. They didn't question you as much as I thought they would," she said, still perplexed at the simplicity of her father's approval. 

"I don't know then. Maybe they're good judges of character. Maybe it was something I said," he said softly. 

Ino looked at him a little puzzled. 

"What did you say that I didn't hear?" she asked. 

He shook his head. 

"Oh, I was just saying. It could have been anything," he said. "Anyway, I better get going. I've got a meeting with Godaime in the morning and you still need to help your mom with that huge order. Goodnight," he said, kissing her forehead. 

She waved as he jumped off the roof and jogged home. 

She looked up again at the same star that glimmered. "It sure was a good night," she whispered before slipping off the roof and into her room. 

* * *

See? I told you it sucked. It was sappy (I think) and Shikamaru was a little (or a lot) OC. But BLAH. People have been wondering what led up to the epilogue. There you got what you asked for. And it sucks. AHHH... Anyway... I know I said I'd post GG right after this, but seriously, my final exams will kill me so I'm just going to post this and you can definitely expect that the night of April 27 (my **last** exam), GG will definitely be posted, as well as the epilogue to IAA. Thanks so much for reading and I'm sorry for making all you readers and faithful reviewers wait. If I have a chance, I'll try to rewrite this side story.

- _Sasha_


	8. IAA side story 2: Gently, Gently

**Gently, Gently**

Author: Sasha (attain_webmiss@yahoo.ca) 

Rating: PG

Pairing(s): KibaHina

Warning(s): none

Summary: Naruto's got another thing weighing his shoulders down when the group finds out about Hinata falling sick after a mission involving Shikamaru, Hinata and himself. Kiba is out of his mind with worry and is at his wit's end on the day Neji has promised Kiba he could visit Hinata.

Kiba bit his lip and nervously twisted a piece of paper in his hands. Hinata had fallen sick again and he wasn't allowed in the Hyuga house to see her. Neji said that he didn't want Hinata to strain herself, and being head-over-heels for the little Hyuga heiress, Kiba grudgingly stepped aside. Today was the supposed day he was allowed to come over to see her. He was going out of his mind.

Naruto rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Stop fussing over the situation and sit down. You'll make me lose my lunch," the blonde said, irritated by Kiba's pacing of the Ichiraku. The brunette narrowed his eyes at the annoying blonde.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Wouldn't want you to lose you precious lunch of that god-awful ramen," Kiba said sarcastically as he purposely strode in more circles. Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and even Sasuke rolled their eyes at the irritating duo.

"Grow up," Ino exclaimed. Shikamaru yawned and leaned against his girlfriend. Sakura frowned and smacked Naruto's arm.

"Be quiet. He's obviously worried about Hinata. Shouldn't you be worried as well?" she asked the blonde. He shrugged a little.

Everyone exchanged exasperated glances and kept quiet, waiting for Kiba to come to them to ask questions or for help, rather than bombarding the poor guy with their concern.

Kiba stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. He didn't want to be in a place where everyone could see how Hinata's condition was unraveling him. Akamaru followed, casting a worried look towards the well-meaning group of friends and followed Kiba out of the restaurant.

"Y'know, I want to see her so badly, but it'll tear me up inside to see her feeling so terrible. What should I say? I can't be myself because she probably won't have the energy to put up with me. I don't want to make her tired, AHH… this is so stupid!" he said loudly. Akamaru gently nudged the brunette's shin.

"What is it, Akamaru?" he said, looking down at the dog. Akamaru turned to the field full of flowers, indicating that picking Hinata a bunch of pretty flowers would be a nice gesture. Kiba smiled and crouched down to rub the dog's head.

"That's a good idea. Come on!" he said, running down the slope.

"You're awfully grumpy today," Sakura said to Naruto, her brow furrowing. Sasuke nodded. Ino was about to say something rude until Shikamaru clamped a hand over her mouth. He shook his head. She was PMSing.

"Eh," Naruto said, upper lip curling. Sakura pulled his head off the table and turned it to face hers.

"I don't understand this slump of yours, but you better tell us quick. I don't like not knowing what's wrong with someone I care about," she said. Naruto's blue eyes locked with hers for a moment and then slid over to Sasuke.

"I do feel bad about Hinata. It's my fault she's sick," he mumbled, looking anywhere but at his girlfriend.

"What makes you think that?" she asked, green eyes trying to get his wandering ones to stop moving about.

"That mission that Shikamaru asked us to come on. It was raining and Hinata got cornered by these guys. I was supposed to watch over her but I went off to follow the leader's right-hand man and she got a little beat up. I guess she passed out and she caught a really bad cold. I don't think Kiba knows about that part. Shikamaru and I were thinking of telling him, but he's so hot-headed sometimes," the blonde explained. Sakura nodded slowly.

"Right, speak for yourself, oh most-hot-headed-one," she said, giggling. Naruto scowled.

Ino looked at Shikamaru. "How come you didn't tell me?" she asked. He shrugged and she fumed a little, crossing her arms over her chest.

'_Does anyone have chocolate_?' he found himself wondering. He hated when she was pre-menstrual.

"If you really feel that bad about it, you better tell Kiba. He might get mad, he might even hit you, but you can take it. Besides, if you own up to it, you'll probably feel a lot better," Sakura suggested. Naruto whined.

"Don't worry," Ino interjected. "Shikamaru will help you tell Kiba!" she exclaimed. The pony-tailed boy's eyes widened, but he conceded. He didn't want to irritate Ino anymore.

"Fine," he said, sighing rather loudly. Naruto looked up, a little mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Alright. We'll tell Kiba," he said, eyes gleaming. Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No funny business," the pink-haired girl and her other boyfriend said in unison. Naruto hated when they did that, especially when he planned on pinning the job of confessing onto Shikamaru.

"FINE," the blonde said, crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura laughed.

"You're so cute when you pout," she remarked. He turned on her, a sly grin splitting his face in two. Sasuke stepped in front of Sakura.

"Do your job first," the dark-haired teen said. Shikamaru stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed again.

"Let's just go," the pony-tailed boy said, waving a curt goodbye to the band of friends and dragging a softly protesting blonde with him.

Kiba looked across the field and wondered where to start. He knew Hinata's favourite color happened to be purple and he spied a whole bunch of vividly coloured irises by a tree. He motioned for Akamaru to follow and the two picked the whole lot. Kiba sat back on his heels, a big handful of irises in one hand and a rather large patch missing from the base of a tree. He chuckled a little nervously, partly sorry that he took so many of the flowers, but partly overjoyed because he knew they would make Hinata happy. He looked around some more and found a few pale yellow daffodils and thought that they would make the bouquet look a little more cheerful. He picked a few and Akamaru yipped towards long stalks of thick grass, hinting that Kiba should use the grass to tie around the flower stems.

"What would I do without you, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, bending to pet the happy dog. He picked the longest stalk and wrapped it around the bunch of flowers and smiled at his handiwork. Off to see Hinata…

Naruto pouted and stomped behind Shikamaru.

"Where would Kiba go?" Shikamaru asked softly. He looked left, right, and finally spotted the brunette and Akamaru down in the field. He stopped and Naruto, not really watching where he was walking, slammed into the taller teen.

"Hey, watch it!" the blonde yelled, rubbing his nose. Shikamaru shrugged.

"You watch it. It's your damn fault that I have to come with you. So do we tell him now, or later?" the dark-haired boy asked. Naruto chewed on his lower lip, casting a glance down towards the brunette and dog making their way up the slope on the opposite side of the field.

"Can we do it later? I was thinking that maybe I should bring something to cheer Hinata up. I feel bad about it and I think maybe I should talk to her first, you know, apologize," Naruto suggested. Shikamaru's eyes widened a little.

"I think that might be the first logical thing you have said in a long time," the pony-tailed boy said, slightly amazed at his suddenly lucid friend.

"Che," Naruto said, snarling softly. "Let's just go into town. I'll get her some kind of stuffed animal or something. Girls like that kind of stuff, right?" the blonde asked. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Eh? Wouldn't you know?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Nah. Surprisingly, Ino's not that materialistic. I think the only thing I've ever gave her was a bracelet for our anniversary and glass wind chimes for her birthday," the teen confessed.

Naruto stood there for a moment, trying to soak that bit of information.

"Wow, I would have thought Ino would be the type to be lavished with unnecessary gifts," he said softly. Shikamaru chuckled.

"Yeah, it doesn't fit her personality," Shikamaru admitted. Naruto nodded, smiling.

"Come on, let's go get something for Hinata and we'll convince Neji to let us see her first," Naruto said, dragging Shikamaru towards town.

"And how are we going to convince Neji to let us see his cousin before Kiba?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I'll figure it out," he said, determinedly marching back to the hustle and bustle of the town.

"Okay, I think I'm ready to see her," Kiba said, smiling as he walked towards the Hyuga house. The nervousness dissipated and all he could feel at that moment was an eagerness to see his girlfriend. Neji, ever the watchful cousin, spotted the brunette from far away and called out to him.

"Good afternoon," Neji said politely. Kiba nodded and Akamaru yipped. Neji bent to pet the dog.

"Is it okay for me to go see her?" Kiba asked. Neji shook his head.

"Not yet. She's napping. I don't really want to wake her, but you can hang around here for a while until she wakes. She won't be that much longer; she's been asleep since lunch," Neji said. Kiba nodded.

"Play you a game of shogi?" the Hyuga boy offered. Kiba smiled.

"Sure, why not?" he said, taking a seat across Neji.

"Is Hinata picky?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto shrugged.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, frustrated. They spent a good half an hour in the same store, looking at the same things- for the third time.

"Just pick something and pay for it. I have other stuff to do," Shikamaru complained. Naruto smirked.

"Like Ino?" he suggested with a leer. That comment earned him a rather hard punch from the pony-tailed boy.

"What Sakura and Sasuke see in you is beyond me," Shikamaru muttered. 

Naruto's eyes narrowed but he remembered the task at hand and paced the small aisles of the store. Finally, his eyes settled on something he thought Hinata would really love. It was a delicate porcelain box decorated with curlicues of deep violet. The contrast of dark against the immaculate white of the porcelain gave it a beautiful effect and Naruto thought that the violet of the paint would go well with her naturally striking light violet eyes.

"I got it," the blonde announced, snatching up the box and taking it to the elderly man who owned the store. He paid and received the box covered in layers of tissue paper.

"Let's go," Shikamaru said, heading for the Hyuga house not too far from the centre of town.

"Dammit, Neji. Can't you let me win at least once?" Kiba asked, stressed about losing the third round of shoji to the Hyuga boy. Neji smirked a little.

"You keep leaving yourself these wide open spaces for me to win. Watch the board carefully and then you'll see where all your mistakes are. It just takes practice to get this good," Neji explained. Normally, Hyuga Neji wasn't this conversational, but ever since Kiba and Hinata started going out, the considerably uptight Branch member eased up a little.

Kiba looked carefully and then he realized that he kept leaving weak spaces with each move he made.

"I see now!" he exclaimed. Clapping a hand to his forehead, he sighed. "Jeez, no wonder you kept beating me. Hey, you think Hinata is awake yet?" he asked. Neji looked up at Hinata's window from where they were sitting outside.

"I'm not sure. I'll check. I'll be a moment," Neji said, getting up and going inside.

"Hey, there's Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed as the blonde and Shikamaru approached the rather large Hyuga household. Kiba waved.

'Crap,' thought Naruto. There went his plan of asking Neji to see Hinata first.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kiba asked. Naruto looked around, trying not to make direct eye contact with Hinata's boyfriend.

"We're just here to see how she's doing and Naruto wanted to give her a get-well present," Shikamaru supplied. Naruto could have kissed Shikamaru at that moment, but then Sasuke would cause some sort of bodily injury to him.

"Yeah, so anyway, how come you aren't inside with her?" Naruto asked.

Kiba looked up towards Hinata's window and saw Neji there, waving them in.

"Well, Neji said I had to wait out here until she woke up from her nap. The medicine must be making her pretty drowsy. But she's awake now, you guys want to come with me?" he offered. Naruto and Shikamaru nodded and followed the boy and Akamaru into the house.

Neji met them at the stairs.

"You guys can only see her for about ten minutes. She's still pretty tired and since there's two of you _and_ Naruto, she'll probably get tired really easily," Neji said, leading them up the stairs. Naruto tapped Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"Hey, what did he mean by 'the two of you _and_ Naruto'?" he whispered. Shikamaru laughed, then shook his head indicating that it wasn't important.

Neji led them up the long staircase and down the wood-panelled hallway to a set of double door at the end of the corridor. He pushed one door open and Hinata lifted a fragile hand to wave at the boys.

"Hi," Kiba said, coming to her side and placing the bouquet of flowers before her. Akamaru, as per usual, was picked up and placed in Kiba's jacket, yipped a greeting to the bed-ridden girl.

"Here," Naruto said, placing the box in one of her small hands. "Hope you get better," he said quickly, taking his place next to Shikamaru.

"How are you feeling?" Kiba asked, lifting a hand to place it gently on her forehead. She smiled weakly.

"Better. My fever broke a few days ago. I've just been really tired and I guess the medicine is making me feel sluggish. I didn't expect this many of you to come and see me," she said, smiling.

Naruto frowned a little. "Sorry if too many of us came," he apologized. Hinata's eyes widened.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. It was very nice of you and Shikamaru-kun to come and visit me as well. I expected Kiba to be the only one allowed. Brother Neji must have been extra generous today," she said, giggling. The three boys laughed softly.

Naruto shifted from foot to foot. He figured that he'd been through much worse and even if he did confess in front of Kiba, he knew they boy would forgive him… eventually.

"Is there something wrong?" Hinata asked. Naruto's head snapped up and his gaze met hers for what seemed like a long minute.

"I'm sorry I left you like that," he apologized. "It's my fault she got sick," he said, turning to Kiba, steeling himself for the physical pain that would follow.

Kiba looked at his girlfriend and then at the blonde whose eyes were shut tight.

"You, you bastard! You endangered Hinata! She could have died," Kiba shouted. Naruto opened one eye and saw that Kiba stood still, but fuming.

"If you're that angry, hit me," Naruto said flatly. Shikamaru watched the tension and just backed up in case fists were about to fly.

"Damn right I will!" Kiba yelled as he advanced on the blonde.

"STOP IT!" Hinata yelled. Her eyes glistened a little and her breath came faster than normal. She was angry, and nobody had seen that kind of emotion from her in a very long time.

"But, he's the reason you had to go through all this," Kiba sputtered.

Hinata pushed the covers off and stood slowly. Kiba came to help her but she shot him what looked like a warning look. He stood still and she placed one hand on the nightstand to steady herself.

"He's sorry, Kiba. I know Naruto would never intentionally leave a single one of us behind. I have forgiven him, as should you," Hinata said, looking at the blonde who appeared as though he was about to cry.

"You could have died," Kiba protested. She cast a look at him and his frown softened. Something about her eyes seemed to calm him down, despite how mad he was at Naruto.

"But I didn't. I may not look very powerful or intimidating, but my heart and soul are strong. You have not lost me, nor will you ever lose me," she said softly. _That_ made Naruto bawl.

"I'm so sorry Hinata!" he exclaimed as he leapt forward to embrace her lightly. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and Kiba stood, sputtering and still a little angry at Konoha's number one trouble-maker. She smiled and patted his back softly.

"It's okay. I forgive you, however, I think that it is wise for you to let me go before Kiba really does hit you," she said. Naruto wiped his tears away and his cheeks turned a wonderful shade of pink when he realized that he had just cried like a baby in front of two guys who would probably tell everyone about the incident later. He let her go and Kiba rushed to her side.

"Boys, leave us please," Kiba said, glaring at Naruto and Shikamaru. The two boys nodded and left.

Minutes passed before either of them said anything. Kiba had his arms around Hinata and she leaned into his embrace, the beat of his heart the only thing she could hear very clearly. A hand stroked her hair and finally, Kiba stepped back a little, his arms still around her, but loose enough so that he could move apart to look her in the eye as he spoke.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry that my anger gets the best of me. But I really care about you. If it wasn't for you stepping in, I'm pretty sure that I would have broken the floorboards with Naruto's head," he apologized. Hinata frowned a little and he used one hand to smooth the skin on her forehead.

"Of course, that look you gave me stopped me in my tracks. I'm glad that you're okay now," he whispered, his hand sliding from her forehead to cup her cheek.

"Kiba, I said it before and I won't say it again: my heart and soul are my strengths. You're part of my heart, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded.

"Then as long as you are part of my heart, I won't ever be in real danger," she said softly before closing the distance between them once more. Kiba's head dropped lower and he nuzzled her ear.

"I love you," he whispered. It was the first time Kiba said it to her, or anyone else for that matter, but he felt as though he should have said it a long time ago. It took a potentially dangerous, life-threatening situation for him to muster up the courage to tell Hinata how he really felt. He owed her that.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open and she melted into his embrace.

"I love you too," she whispered back before his head descended and he placed the most chaste of kisses upon her lips. 

Hinata's cheeks flushed and she felt a little light-headed. She wasn't sure if it was Kiba's kiss or the medicine, but the feeling didn't pass and she softly collapsed in his arms.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, helping Hinata right herself and then he just picked her up and lay her back in bed. Her eyes grew heavy with exhaust, but she still managed to smile.

"I guess that makes you part of my soul as well," she whispered before succumbing to the darkness of sleep.

Kiba smiled.

"Yeah, but you were part of mine long before today," he said softly as he kneeled to gently take one of her hands into his.

A.N. DUNDUNDUN… I think I liked writing this one WAY more that FW. Now, do _you_ like GG?

Random person: I loved it!

Me: THANKS!

Random person #2: It was…ehh…

Me: … I'll give you two seconds to run… TWO!

News anchor: tonight, Random person#2 has been reported missing. Any leads to their whereabouts will be IGNORED. GOOD NIGHT!

Me: yeah… that's right.

ANYWAY… aside from that bout of silliness (which is rare of me since I never add script-like junk in my A.N.'s), please review. For all those who have visited the site and emailed me complaints about the entire arc being posted, it's because I put the links there long before I even finished writing IAA. It was just for convenience sake so that all I needed to do when I finished writing, is to upload them and *POOF* the links work themselves out. The epilogue will be out soon, I just figured I should make it a little longer. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and complimenting! OH YEAH… I'll get around to re-writing FW because I despise it…


	9. I Can't See Me Loving Nobody but You for...

**Chapter 6 – I Can't See Me Loving Nobody but You, for All My Life…**

Over twenty years had passed since the sealing of the Demon Fox. Konoha was finally at peace and had survived everything from invading shinobis, the loss of two very influential hokages and a cornucopia of other troubles.

Nearly ten years passed since Tsunade, the fifth, died and Naruto became the sixth.

The Leaf Village gang still met up often during the year. Each festival, birthday, announcement, the gang of seven put aside all work and made time for each other.

This time, the group's gathering was impromptu, but just as meaningful. Spread out on picnic blankets in Group Seven's old training grounds, the group ate, made jokes, and caught up on news about each other.

Hinata snuggled closer to Kiba and they both smiled at each other, their bodies outlined by Konoha's sun setting low behind the large hill.

Sakura popped a grape into Naruto and then Sasuke's mouth; TenTen and Rock Lee whispered something funny to one another; and surprisingly, Neji and Shino were in the midst of a heated debate about whether or not exchanging the students under their training would be beneficial.

Shikamaru lay with his head in Ino's lap, looking up at her and grinning.

"You're so lazy," Ino said, swatting Shikamaru's arm. He grinned at her.

"Well, you did agree to take me for better or for worse…" he said. She giggled, smoothing his hair. He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

Naruto and Sasuke sat hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder, watching how much their friend changed. Naruto laughed at how romantic Shikamaru had become and reached for Sasuke's hand.

"Oh my goodness, you two are so cute that it's sickening," Naruto said sarcastically. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the blonde and then laughed.

"I don't care if you're the hokage. You don't disrespect my wife and me like that," Shikamaru said, standing up. He threw a lazy punch and used the momentum to pull Naruto into a noogie.

"You fall for it every time," Sakura said, laughing as the blonde sputtered, trying to twist out of Shikamaru's grasp.

"Forgive the idiot. He doesn't know any better," Sasuke said from his place under the tree, making no attempt to save the blonde from the wrath of Shikamaru's noogie.

They all looked at each other and smiled.

"So how is everyone?" Hinata asked.

"Good," Chouji said.

"Excellent," Kiba answered, hooking an arm around Hinata's waist.

"Fine," Sasuke and Neji said at the same time. They both laughed.

"Content," Shino said, adjusting his collar.

"Wonderful!" Lee exclaimed. They all rolled their eyes. Good old Rock Lee; he was such a happy little camper.

"Good," TenTen answered, blushing when Rock flashed her his good guy smile, complete with the little ping of his shiny, white teeth.

"Tired," Sakura said giggling as she pried Naruto away from Shikamaru.

A pause. Everyone looked expectantly towards Ino who looked like she was struggling to say something. Shikamaru glanced at her.

"Uh…pregnant," Ino said softly.

"WHAT?!?" they all asked loudly. She blushed. She had a feeling she was two months ago, but she was sure now.

"When are you due?" they all asked in unison.

"In about six months," she answered, twisting her fingers in her lap. The girls got up from where they were sitting and ran to give Ino hugs. The men patted Shikamaru on the back.

Shikamaru's eyes were as wide as platters. Him, a father. So soon?

"Hey, Shikamaru, you never told us how you were," Naruto said, snickering.

He glanced at all of them and wrapped an arm around Ino's shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Grateful," he simply said. "So grateful."

A.N. AWW… I know. I didn't particularly like the epilogue, but I'm so tired of trying to fix this series. I have been writing other stuff, so let's just hope those ones are better. I skipped a lot of history in between but I saved those for side stories. As for the ending, the only ones who ended up marrying each other were Shikamaru and Ino, and Kiba and Hinata. The rest of them, well I guess I can go more in-depth with trusty side-fics. Thanks for the reviews. This was so much fun to write!


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